Rum Tum Tugger/Street Cat
This article is about the rapping Rum Tum Tugger. For the original rockstar character, see Rum Tum Tugger (Rockstar). The Rum Tum Tugger is a character in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats. Not to be mistaken with the original version of Tugger, this version of the Rum Tum Tugger is a hip-hop street cat rather than a Mick Jagger-esque rockstar. This take on the character was used in several productions between 2014 - 2016, but has since been phased out in favour of the original version. Personality The Rum Tum Tugger is a rebellious young cat who clowns around for attention. He enjoys being in the spotlight and has a small fan following of younger kittens and a few queens. His antics do not impress the more mature cats (typically Munkustrap and Mistoffelees), who are fed up with him. He is indecisive and demanding, and only likes what he finds for himself. There is nothing he enjoys like a horrible muddle. He sometimes nicknames other cats, calling Old Deuteronomy "Old D" and Mistoffelees "the Magi-coolest cat". Role For the 2014 London Palladium production, Lloyd Webber announced that he found the original Rum Tum Tugger "rather boring", and would update the character to a "street cat""Cats Musical to Feature Rapping Cat" BBC.co.uk , 7th July 2014 , giving him a rap song and hip hop choreography. This alteration has had distinct changes on the dynamics within the show. He appears to rank below Mistoffelees and Mungojerrie in the pecking order, and the other kittens enjoy his mischief-making. He spends much of the show removed from the ensemble and aloof, building fewer interactions than between other characters. He has a lot of interaction with the audience. Between 2014 and 2016, he was included in each new production of Cats, notably both Palladium runs, the Blackpool production, Paris, the Australia/New Zealand tour and the 2016 UK/Europe Tour. "Street Tugger" began to be phased out in 2016. The 2016 Broadway revival reintroduced the original Tugger, with the 2017 UK/Europe tour following suit. There is currently no production of Cats running that is using "Street Tugger". Song A rap song about the Rum Tum Tugger's un-obliging ways. The new song uses re-phrased elements of the original poem combined with rap verses created by Antoine Murray-Straughan. Appearance The Rum Tum Tugger is a tiger striped cat. He wears his wig in braids, a backwards black snapback, a printed vest top, gold/silver chain necklaces, and black and yellow leopard spotted drop pants over a tiger print unitard. He wears fingerless gloves and black or gold running shoes. Tugger Design 3.jpg|Updated Tugger design Gallery Street Cat Antoine Murray Straughan Palladium 2014 01.jpg|Antoine Murray-Straughan as Tugger, 2014 Palladium Cast Street Cat Marcquelle Ward Palladium 2015 01.jpg|Marcquelle Ward as Tugger 2015 Street Cat Jack Butterworth Blackpool 2015 07.jpg|Jack Butterworth as Tugger, 2015 Blackpool Cast Controversy Tugger's update has been met with criticism"Cats Rap - Andrew Lloyd Webber Gives Rum Tum Tugger a Hip-Hop Remix" www.theguardian.com, 8th July 2014 , "Rum Tum Tugger Will Rap in the West End Revival of Cats" The Atlantic Wire, 7th July 2014 , with both critics and theatre fans condemning the re-working of the character into a dated and offensive cliché. This resulted in the phasing out of the character from 2016 on, with the Broadway Revival and all major productions following it using the original Rockstar Tugger rather than the Street Cat version. References Category:Characters Category:Song Cats Category:Toms